


All the Fun

by undeadsnorlax



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (he just doesn't know it yet), Asexual Luther Hargreeves, Fluff, Friendship, Funfair, Gen, Minor Angst, pre-season 2, teen rating for swearing only
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26991877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadsnorlax/pseuds/undeadsnorlax
Summary: “So you’ve never been to a fair before?”“Not like this. Would’ve interrupted my...studies.”Rosie put a hand on his thigh, offering a sympathetic look. “Your dad sounds like a jerk.”Luther snorted, picking at the edges of his gloves. “He sure is.”--In which Luther goes on a date (but doesn't actually realise it's one)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	All the Fun

**Author's Note:**

> you ever lose track of your original idea for a fic, and suddenly it becomes a fluff piece about the funfair??? yeah.  
> I dunno man, I just like writing nice fluffy situations where Luther has a good time and gets to talk through his feelings a little. It's all I can write half the time.

Luther was stacking chairs onto tables after the bar had closed, humming a tune to himself, when he felt a small tap on his back. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw one of the girls, Rosie, was standing there, changed out of her work clothes and smiling softly.

“Hey there, Luther.”

“Something the matter?” he asked, turning around and tilting his head, “The lock on the dressing room door get jammed again?”

“No, that’s fine.”

Some giggles from a few other girls nearby made her shoot a glare in their direction, before turning back. “You got tomorrow off, don’t you?”

“Uh, yup.” Luther rocked on his heels a little, scratching under his chin. “Mr Ruby wants me to rest up before Sunday, so I was just gonna head to the library then relax at home. Why?”

“Just, tomorrow’s my day off too, and I’m sure you’ve seen posters for the fair in town, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?”

Rosie blushed as she spoke, but Luther saw nothing in it.

A fair. He and his siblings had been invited to open a few, and Reginald let them greet a couple fans and have a candy apple each before they were ushered back into the car, so he’d never actually experienced one properly. He doubted he’d fit on any of the rides now, but there was usually games and food.

“Sounds great!” he cried, grinning down at her, “Meet outside here around six?”

Rosie blushed even more, as she nodded excitedly. “Yeah! It’s a date. See you then.”

She went back to the other girls, who immediately started to giggle and whisper to her, patting her shoulder. Luther just shrugged and finished off his work for the night, humming a more upbeat tune as he excitedly thought of tomorrow.

  


*

  


Luther immediately found his brain overwhelmed by the noise of the fair. There was just...so much all at once. Rides whirring about and children yelling and music blasting. For the first time in months he wanted to be back on the moon with her deathly silence.

He glanced at the sky, spotting the moon and despite all it represented, felt a little calmer. He could handle this.

Rosie stuck close to his side as they walked through the grounds, smiling bright.

“Uh...may I…?”

She linked her arm around the crook of his elbow, cheeks pink. Luther just nodded. Good idea, actually, that way there was less chance of them being separated. Not that it was hard to find him in a crowd.

“Is there anything you wanted to do in particular?” he asked, looking over everyone’s heads at some of the stalls.

“How about the carousel?” Rosie said, pointing at the brightly coloured steeds just ahead.

Luther bit his bottom lip in quick thought. Out of all the rides here, this was the one he was least likely to break. “Sure!”

They waited in line, Luther paying for their tickets, before stepping up onto the carousel. Rosie went through a few of them, before stopping at one painted blue and yellow, the name written in elegant gold lettering on the neck stating it’s name was Spangle.

“This one,” she said softly, starting to jump up but struggled to get a foothold.

Without thinking, Luther reached out and put his hands either side of her waist, lifting her onto the horse with ease. She stared, her mouth agape a little.

“You know I’m strong, Rosie,” he chuckled, managing to pull himself on the horse next to her – a red and white one he gleefully saw was called Comet. “It’s why Mr Ruby hired me.”

“Sure, just...you’re _so_ strong.” She cleared her throat, shifting on the seat and holding onto the pole as the carousel music started up, a cheery pipe organ tune, and the ride began to move.

Luther held onto the pole, looking outwards as the fair spun past. The movement made the lights blur softly, giving everything a slightly dreamy haze.

Not for the first time since he got here, he thought of his family. This ride seemed like something Klaus and Allison would love the most, finding the horse with the best name or the prettiest pattern.

He leaned his cheek against the pole, letting his eyes unfocus so the lights became even blurrier, the music muffling as he let out a small sigh.

He was coming to accept that maybe he was going to have to live out the rest of his days here in Dallas, and he didn’t even mind. He had a life, a steady job, his own place. He was an independent man, free from the Umbrella Academy completely for the first time in thirty years, and he was...fine.

Despite that, he still missed his family, still worried about what could have happened to them. He’d been here months and nothing! Not one sign of them anywhere! Had they been sent even further back, to some other place? Or had they managed to travel back to the week before the apocalypse was triggered, save everything...without him.

He was also starting to realise the horrible heavy sensation in his stomach he felt every night before he fell asleep was guilt.

He glanced up at the sky again, just about managing to spot the moon before it vanished on another loop.

Vanya may have blown it up, but he’d provoked her. He knew that now. He’d been scared of what she’d done, but so had she. He spent a lot of nights wishing his hug had ended at that. A big brother offering his scared sister a comforting hug and helping her figure out her newfound powers.

 _Thank you Dad, for giving me the emotional capabilities of a brick,_ he thought bitterly.

That was something he was dealing with too. Anger towards his father. Being humiliated at that party he unintentionally crashed was truly the thing that broke all illusions he’d had over the years. Reginald Hargreeves was a terrible man, and Luther hated him, hated what he did to his body and his mind, what he did to his siblings.

What pissed him off even more was he still found some care in his heart for the man. 

“Luther?”

He shook his head, coming back into focus as Rosie touched his shoulder. The ride was over, everyone filing off for the next set of customers to get on.

“Oh. Right.”

He jumped off with a dull thud, rubbing the corner of his eye as they walked.

“Are you okay?” Rosie asked, resting a hand on the crook of his arm once more.

“Sorry, I spaced out a little, that’s all.” Luther took a deep breath, tensing a fist to ground himself. “I was thinking about my family.”

“Oh. You never really talk about them. Miss them?”

“Yeah. A lot.”

The backstory he gave people was he was kicked out by his father and ran to Dallas for a fresh start. Not exactly a lie.

Rosie tilted her head, giving his arm a small squeeze, her hand dwarfed by his bicep. “You have siblings?”

“Yeah, there were seven of us. Five boys, two girls. I was the oldest.” He pulled a face and waggled his hand in the air, a noncommittal gesture. “Sort of.”

It was easier than explaining that actually they were all born on the same day at the same time and any notion of him being ‘oldest’ was simply from his status as Number One.

Still, Rosie gasped. “Wow! I just have one brother. Can’t imagine what Christmas at your place must have been like.”

 _Terrible_ was the answer. If Luther was bolder, he might have even said it, followed it up with saying when they were nine, he and his siblings were given a list of real person names to choose from by their robot mother, instead of literally being numbered their whole lives.

Instead he just chuckled, turning his head to a few food stalls. “Yeah, it was wild. You hungry? I’m starving.”

“You sure Mr Ruby won’t mind his prize fighter eating total junk?” Rosie giggled, leading him over.

“I’m allowed a cheat day!”

Rosie settled on just a simple corn dog, whilst Luther got a cheeseburger and funnel cake - “To share!” he said with a smile.

They found an empty picnic bench, one of many set up around the food area, and sat down. Well, Luther did immediately, Rosie hovered a few moments before sliding up beside him, hip to hip.

Not that he noticed, already too focused on digging into his burger, letting out a small moan as he did. He blushed when Rosie giggled, covering his mouth as he chewed.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. Like a man who enjoys his food.”

Luther scoffed, taking another bite. “Not one with my appetite. You’ve seen me eat after a match.”

Rosie just shrugged, delicately nibbling her corn dog. “I stand by what I said.”

Luther frowned down at her, but shrugged it off, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before starting on the funnel cake.

“I’ve never gotten to eat stuff like this,” he said, looking over at the rest of the fair, “My dad was pretty strict with what we ate…what _I_ ate.”

He watched as a family walked past, a father and mother holding hands as a bubbly blond boy bounced around them. The father laughed, ruffling his son’s hair with fondness before pulling him to his side. Luther gulped, stuffing his face with more funnel cake.

“That was my first time on a ride too,” he continued through a full mouth, staring at the table, “It was fun. The music is pretty.”

“So you’ve never been to a fair before?”

“Not like this. Would’ve interrupted my... _studies_.”

Rosie put a hand on his thigh, offering a sympathetic look. “Your dad sounds like a jerk.”

Luther snorted, picking at the edges of his gloves. “He sure is _._ ”

It was weird to talk like this. He never had a chance to talk like this about his life, actually complain about the things Reginald did that he didn’t like but felt he was never allowed to speak up about.

Rosie paused, glancing back at the stalls. “So...you’ve never had cotton candy before?”

“Uh, nope.”

She grinned, getting to her feet and rushing off, before coming back a few minutes later with a big pink cloud on a stick. Luther raised his brows as it was shoved into his hand, her sitting down again.

“Aw, c’mon Rosie, that wasn’t me asking for it-“

“You already paid for the carousel and the food. Let me treat you.”

He sighed gently, picking off a strand of cotton candy and letting it melt on his tongue, scrunching his eyes up. “Mm!”

“You like?”

“It’s very sweet,” he mumbled, picking another strand off.

Ben would have liked cotton candy. He was always the one who’d enjoy their post-mission ice cream the most, always got a little deflated when that treat started happening less and less.

“I missed out on a lot,” he added, to push the memory of his deceased brother back. He looked over at Rosie, grinning. “Glad I can have some fun now with someone like you, at least.”

Rosie’s whole face went red, which confused Luther as he kept eating the cotton candy, feeling his fingers and cheeks get sticky with sugar. Suppose that was some form of compliment, people usually like those and get embarrassed by them.

“Oh, Luther, you have some...here.”

Rosie reached up and picked a strand of sweet fluff from his stubble, before brushing powdered sugar from the breast of his jacket. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Thanks! I’d have walked around the rest of the night like that without you noticing.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

They walked around the fair a bit more, coming up to a few of the games stalls. Rosie wrapped herself around Luther’s arm, fluttering her lashes at him and pointing at one of the games.

“You think you could win me a prize?”

“I mean…”

Luther's eyes scanned the stalls, settling on one particular stand and smirked – _test your strength._

“Heh. Easily.”

He walked up to the stall worker, handing over the two dollars it cost to play. The worker stared at him wide eyed, handing over the mallet with a shaky hand. The stare was enough to make Luther’s shoulders slump just slightly as he walked up to the base of the machine.

He was never going to get used to being stared at.

He looked up the tower, licking his lips in thought as he separated his feet to steady his stance. He could feel his muscles tense and shift as he prepared them, readying the right amount of power he needed to win this.

Part of his training as a kid had been to control his strength, conserve his energy for more dangerous manoeuvres. Develop a delicate touch to stop ripping his bedroom door from its hinges, or worse.

_“Concentrate Number One!”_

Luther sucked in through his teeth, shifting on his feet a few more times as he raised the mallet up. Behind him, he heard Rosie cheer him on and he grinned.

_“Focus on channelling your strength. You must master your power.”_

Oh, he mastered it all right. Hours of strenuous activity until his limbs were screaming, enduring every last second of pain for barely any praise.

He brought the mallet down with a slight snarl, sending the puck flying up and hitting the bell at the top, denting it.

Luther let out a breath, letting his muscles relax again. A little harder than he intended but still. He won.

“Congratulations mister!” the worker said, still clearly intimidated by Luther’s size in the way he approached him, “Take your pick of the prizes!”

Luther turned to Rosie, smiling. “Well? Whaddya want?”

Rosie immediately pointed at a plushie of a grey rabbit. The worker nodded, taking it down from the backboard and presenting it to her with a flourish.

“There you go miss. Got an... _impressive_ boy on your hands, huh?”

Rosie giggled, hugging the bunny to her chest. “I sure do.”

Luther rolled his eyes a little. _You have no idea_.

  


*

  


After some begging, Rosie managed to convince Luther to go on the Ferris wheel, despite how apprehensive he was.

The pod groaned a little as he stepped inside, and Rosie had to squeeze up next to him, but no disaster happened. As the wheel creaked its way to the top, he couldn’t help craning his neck for the view.

All of Dallas, flickering lights...above that the stars in the sky. Such a clear night.

“I notice you do that a lot,” Rosie said softly, playing with the paws of her prize plushie, “Stare at the sky.”

“I just...I love space,” he chuckled, “It’s awesome.”

He’d missed experiencing Yuri Gagarin by a year when he landed here. With any luck he’d get to see the Apollo 11 mission first-hand – sure, he’d seen the video over and over growing up, but the thought of experiencing it live made him giddy.

He pointed at a cluster of stars, gently guiding her head to look.

“Canis Major,” he said, “Contains the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. _That_ one there. Said to be the dog of Orion, the hunter. You can _kiiinda_ see Rigel there, that’s part of it.”

“Woah…” Rosie looked up at him, her eyes wide. “You know your stuff.”

“They didn’t call me-“

Luther cut himself off. Nobody here called him Space Boy. Here the only nickname he had was King-fucking-Kong, which he hated but put up with because it kept him fed and housed.

Rosie kept looking at him expectantly. He just bared his teeth uneasily, waving a hand.

“Eh. Don’t...don’t worry about it. I just...really liked reading about this stuff as a kid.”

He’d love to tell her that also he’d _been_ to space, that he was from the future and he’d lived on the moon for four years, and other people lived up there on the International Space Station and that the president was going to be assassinated in November and their boss would get arrested for killing the murderer so maybe she should look into a career with a little more job security-

But he didn’t, because the Ferris wheel reached the bottom and he knew how crazy he’d sound.

Better she believe he was just some weirdo with a strict dad who read too many encyclopaedias as a kid. It wasn’t exactly far from the truth.

  


*

  


Luther insisted on walking Rosie home after. It was getting pretty late, and that's how it always went in movies he’d seen. Something about chivalry.

When they reached her door, she turned, grabbing his wrist.

“Would you come in for a nightcap? I got this scotch, I’m pretty sure you like it, I’ve seen you drink it at the club.”

Luther blinked. He never thought someone had paid that close attention to his choice in drinks.

“Uh. Sure.”

Her apartment was pretty small, but at least everything was separated into rooms unlike his place. He noticed about three bedrooms as she led him into the living area, gesturing to the couch.

“You have roommates?” he asked, taking in the decor.

“Mm. Sally and Sophie from the club live here too. I think they’re still working, they won’t be back for a while.”

Luther frowned as he tried to picture the two other girls, nodding slowly. “Just us then.”

Rosie appeared again with two glasses of scotch, her cheeks flush as she handed him one. “Uh...yeah. Cheers.”

He smiled, clinking their glasses together and taking a sip. “Mmm...you know, I never drank until I was twenty-nine?”

“Wow! Impressive.” She made her way over to a radio on a countertop, fiddling about until music started to play, The Beach Boys. _Christ_ , he couldn’t wait for the Beatles and ABBA to take off in the next decade. He was getting sick of only dancing to Elvis.

“Well, I had a glass of wine on my twenty-first, and hated it. Me and two of my brothers snuck some of our father’s brandy once, and also hated it.”

He chuckled at the memory of him, Diego and Ben all huddled around a bathroom sink, furiously brushing the taste from their mouths. “But yeah, I was put off alcohol for a while. Another brother, he...had a problem.”

“Everything in moderation,” Rosie said, sitting next to him. She’d shrugged off her jacket as they came in, leaving her in a rather low-cut blouse.

“Don’t I know it,” Luther mumbled, letting himself relax a little into the couch, blurry memories of thumping techno music and pulsing lights flashing through his brain.

Rosie settled back as well, shuffling closer and toying with the sides of his jacket.

“You not warm?”

He was, he was always warm nowadays. The Texas heat was not made for men with gorilla bodies. He set his glass down and wiggled out of his jacket, self-consciously holding down the cuffs of his shirt.

“You always wear long sleeves,” she said. Not mockingly, just an observation. “And gloves.”

“I have my reasons,” he said quietly, taking another sip of scotch, “You must have heard something by now. Jack likes boasting after I win. Plus I…”

He gestured at his torso, looking away uncomfortably. “You know. Nobody’s this big.”

“I find it a little hard to believe.” She swirled her glass and laughed. “Can you blame me?”

“Not really. I wouldn’t believe that’s what my body looked like, if I wasn’t me.”

He frowned. “Yeah, that...that sure was a sentence.”

Rosie laughed again, covering her mouth as she did. Luther couldn’t help but laugh a little himself at his dumb turn of phrase. He drained his glass and raised it, Rosie going to get the bottle and pour him another.

Anything to change the topic from his body though.

Rosie started to talk about her childhood, why she came to Dallas in the first place. A sick mother, a brother in Vietnam, a father trying his best. Luther listened closely, nodding and letting out small hums every so often. He couldn’t offer much input beyond that, but it was nice to spend time with someone like this. It reminded him of being a kid again, what little free time he got where he and his siblings would just hang out like normal teens.

He felt Rosie slump against his chest and shifted so she’d be more comfortable.

He paused for a moment as she wrapped an arm over his middle, stroking down his stomach slightly.

_Hm. Okay._

“Luther?”

He looked over to her, and she pulled his head down, cupping his cheek and kissing him.

He stared. Her eyes had fluttered shut, but he kept his wide open, glancing about the apartment.

 _Pull away_ , a small voice in the back of his mind told him, _You hate kissing._

He couldn’t think of why he didn’t. He could only sit there, dumbstruck and moving his lips ever so slightly that maybe this would be over quicker if he engaged.

It was Rosie who pulled away first, cheeks bright pink, as she began to unbutton her blouse. Luther yelped, slapping his hand over his eyes.

“You can look Luther…”

His mouth went dry. “I-I uh, don’t, it’s not really-“

He scrunched up his face, daring to peak between his fingers and spotting her in just her bra. He yelped again, pawing about for his jacket to cover her with.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t…I’m not…”

Once he was sure he was holding his jacket up over her, he opened his eyes again, heat prickling up his neck.

“Rosie, I am... _so_ sorry, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression. I don’t do…I’m not interested in…”

“In me?”

Her voice sounded hurt and Luther mentally screamed every terrible curse word he knew in agony.

“Yes, but no, I’m not interested in _anyone_ , it’s not...I don’t feel like that. I just don’t.”

He pulled his lips thin the moment he said it. He’d never said something like that out loud before. True, he never had anyone to really confess it to, but he’d barely confessed it privately in his brain.

Growing up, sometimes his siblings would bring up what they thought of relationships. Diego would talk about certain actresses being cute, and Klaus would gush about literally every weather person at every news station they were interviewed by. Ben would shyly confess to being enthralled by the relationships written in some novels, wishing he could be in one. Allison’s bedroom walls had posters of floppy haired boybands and she’d tell him about them in great detail, which was her favourite and the one she was _totally gonna marry one day_.

Fuck, even _Five_ would sometimes get giggly over a fan he found particularly cute. If he’d bothered with Vanya on a more personal level, it likely would have been the same.

Luther couldn’t picture that for himself. He’d nod along or grunt dismissively at whatever his siblings said, not really clicking in his head why they thought that way.

He pictured only a future with the Umbrella Academy. It explained a lot in how he ended up.

Rosie had pulled her blouse back on now, resting a hand on his knee. Luther twitched, more flashes of _that night_ going through his head.

He remembered leaving the house in a drunken stupor, bright lights, and Klaus yelling something he couldn’t piece together, then waking up next to a strange girl whose name he didn’t know and whose face he couldn’t picture.

“Luther? Are you okay?” Rosie gently squeezed his knee, bringing him back into focus.

He took a breath, pressing the heel of his palm against the side of his head. “Yeah. Sorry. I just...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lead you on or anything.”

“No, no, don’t apologise. It’s my fault, I just got the wrong idea, I guess.”

He looked at her with pathetic eyes, scratching his wrist to distract from the deep pit of dread that appeared in his gut whenever he thought of _that night,_ because he couldn’t remember any of it. All he knew for certain was he felt sick even thinking about it, and he never wanted to again.

“Wrong idea?”

“You’re not like the other guys Jack hires. You don’t stare at us, you’re polite and kind.” She blushed. “You’re pretty handsome too.”

Luther let out a short laugh of surprise, then immediately winced. He’d never been good with compliments.

“Sorry. Not helping.”

“No, it’s fine.” Rosie kept squeezing his knee, bowing her head. “I really enjoyed tonight.”

“I did too.” Luther lifted her chin, before placing a hand over hers. “But...not like that. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m honoured you’d even consider me.”

Rosie nodded slowly, taking her own deep breath. “So you’re not interested in _anyone_?”

“Pretty much. Always the last thing on my mind.”

He frowned, thinking of Allison. “I...tried but it never felt right. Kinda forced.”

He shrugged, shifting away to clasp his hands together as the two conflicting voices in his head began to argue.

_You fucking weirdo. Everyone falls in love and they get married and have kids, what’s wrong with you? Then again, who would really want to be with you, when they see what you are?_

_It’s fine. You’re normal. Who cares about that junk really? You’re happy as you are._

“I think I understand,” Rosie said.

Luther looked over, brows raised. “Really?”

“Really.” She smiled, reaching over to cup his cheek again, but with a different kind of fondness behind it. “And it doesn’t matter. You’re a great guy, Luther Hargreeves. And if you just wanna be friends, I’m more than happy with that.”

He swallowed, leaning closer against her palm. “...thanks. I’m sorry, again. I didn’t even realise this was a date.”

“I gathered.” She stretched her arms up with a small yawn, rubbing her eyes. “Look, it’s late. If you want, you can stay the night, the club is only around the block so it’s not far to go in the morning.”

“Ahh, I dunno-“

“I’ll make you breakfast. Everyone says I make the best pancakes in town.”

She giggled at his sudden change of expression from reluctance to immediate interest. He bit his bottom lip, eventually nodding.

“Fine then. If they’re _that_ good,” he said with a slight smirk, “But I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Once Rosie had gone to bed, Luther let out a sigh, staring at the dark ceiling. He barely fit on the couch, his feet dangling over the edge, and the blanket Rosie gave him covered his stomach and not much else, but it was fine.

Of course that was a date. Of _course._ He knew he didn’t exactly pick up on social cues that often – once more, thanks to Reginald Hargreeves and his amazing parenting skills – but God, that was _embarrassing_ , even for him.

He ran his hands down his face with a small groan. At least this went fine. Perhaps Rosie was anticipating being turned down, which somehow hurt a little more.

Regardless, nothing happened. She accepted it, didn’t push him, even said she was happy to be friends.

Luther squirmed onto his side, resting his head on the crook of his arm...and smiled.

He’d never really had a friend before.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had the idea of Luther playing a high striker game in my head since last year, I just never had a place for it until now. I love thinkin about all the little details of his powers and how he controls it.  
> seriously though, this all started with the idea of what happens in the apartment but then I needed some preamble and then the rest of it just...happened. it also was gonna be part of a different fic all together (which I might still write, I'm just putting off researching a historical figure lmao, I just have IDEAS about Luther's time in the 60s and how he dealt with working for a criminal)
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/UndeadSwine) // [Tumblr](https://starryeyedspaceboy.tumblr.com/)


End file.
